Tag Archives: 1963

Gresham Motors, 263/5 London Road

1953 OS Map

1953 OS Map

1987 clip from Merton Memories photo 28020 Copyright London Borough of Merton

1987 clip from Merton Memories photo 28020 Copyright London Borough of Merton

This building was demolished and a block of flats, with a shop was built, see Google StreetView:

Why Worry? Consult GRESHAM MOTORS Ltd. Daimler Car Hire Repairs - Car Sales - 24-hour Breakdown Service Pressure Greasing & Service Body Work Spraying and Reboring Decarbonising Overnight 263/5 London Road, Mitcham - Surrey Tel. MITCHAM 8181

1957 ad : Why Worry? Consult
GRESHAM MOTORS
Ltd.
Daimler Car Hire
Repairs – Car Sales – 24-hour
Breakdown Service
Pressure Greasing & Service
Body Work Spraying and
Reboring
Decarbonising Overnight
263/5 London Road,
Mitcham – Surrey
Tel. MITCHAM 8181

Ad from 1960 shows prices of secondhand cars sold.

Ad from 20th May 1960 Mitcham News & Mercury

This ad from 1963 said that they also had premises in Rosehill, and the makes of vehicles were Humber, Hillman, Sunbeam and Commer:

1963 ad

Listed in the 1989 list of shops in The Parade.

The previous garage at this address was Blox, as there was an application to the Mitcham Borough Council for a transfer of the petroleum licence in July 1957:

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Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

Barclays Bank, Cricket Green

Branch of Barclays Bank that was at 342-344 London Road, on the corner with Lower Green West.

342 London Road. 1963 photo courtesy of Barclays Group Archives

342 London Road. Photo courtesy of Barclays Group Archives

According to Eric Montague, in his book Mitcham Histories: 5 Lower Green West, page 114:

Completely out of keeping with the surrounding buildings, but obviously conceived in the confident belief that eventually this corner of Mitcham would become the commercial centre of the developing town, the three-storeyed Barclays Bank building … was the first purpose-built bank in the village. It dates from the early years of the 20th century, when the houses on Bryant’s Corner were pulled down and within a few years the bank was extended along the London Road frontage

This clip from a Tom Francis photo shows the building before this expansion along the London Road. It shows that there were two windows with arches along the London Road, the main entrance on the corner, and three similar windows along Lower Green West, and another entrance.

Clip from Tom Francis photo on Merton Memories, photo reference Mit_​TomFrancis_​Ln184

In his notes that accompanied this photo, Tom Francis said that when Lloyds and Westminster banks opened branches in the Fair Green, Barclays was compelled to open a branch there as well. Montague said that this branch was kept until the late 1980s.